PORTLAND, Oregon — The race for district attorney in Multnomah County in the 2024 election is stacking up to be one of the most important races to watch in the greater Portland area, as crime and homicide rates have spiked in recent years.
Nathan Vasquez, a career prosecutor and senior deputy district attorney, is running against his boss Mike Schmidt, who was elected as the district attorney in a lopsided victory in 2020 during the long summer of racial justice protests.
However, Schmidt’s popularity has fallen in many Portlander’s eyes, as some blame him for the increase in crime — something he denied in a Straight Talk episode with Laural Porter in September.
This week, his opponent Vasquez joined Straight Talk to discuss why he’s running for election and what he hopes to do.
Vasquez said his biggest criticism of Schmidt is his “failed policy and failed leadership.”
“He (Schmidt) has been a huge proponent of Measure 110 and I think that really is the cornerstone of his policy, and it’s been a huge tragic failure for our community," Vasquez said. "When we look at that, we can also kind of go from there and see how his leadership has failed within our office as well.”
Portland crime rates
Portland had back-to-back record high years in the number of homicides between 2021 and 2022. Since then, the rate has dropped 23% and gun violence is also down, with 1,023 reported shootings in 2023 — nearly 300 less than the year before.
“Under Mike Schmidt we’ve had record years, year after year, and this is not normal and this is not OK,” Vasquez said. “It’s not a situation where we should we be happy that we only had 85 homicides.”
Vasquez said he hopes to bring a level accountability all the way up to the U.S. Attorney’s office to break down the cycle of gun violence in communities.
Measure 110 rollback
During the Oregon legislative short session, lawmakers approved a bill rolling back the decriminalization portion of Measure 110.
HB 4002 would create a new "drug enforcement misdemeanor" for simple drug possession where a person convicted could receive up to 18 months’ probation and potentially 30 days to six months in jail if there are probation violations.
“Measure 110 was the failed experiment of Mike Schmidt,” Vasquez said.
Schmidt has expressed support for Measure 110, but he's also since expressed openness to changes — including criminalization of public drug use, which did not end up in HB 4002. He testified in support of the bill, which Vasquez likewise supports.
Vasquez said that there needs to be more engagement with the everyday person struggling with addiction and community needs. Vasquez said that he would adopt the deflection program option within the bill where people caught on drug misdemeanors could avoid arrest or prosecution by entering a behavioral health and treatment program.
“I’m someone who believes that you have to engage,” Vasquez said. “You have to really dig in with individuals who are struggling if we want to see something better for the community as a whole.”
Watch the full interview to listen to Nathan Vasquez discuss the state's declining population, Measure 113, education funding challenges and more. Straight Talk airs Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at 6:30 p.m.. Straight Talk is also available as a podcast.